My Friend's Art Opening tonight

Well, it has again been a while. A lot has been going on but I'll update you on that later. For now, I want to talk about the art opening I went to tonight . My friend Kirten Springer-Delgado is an artist. I met her at the Museum of the Moving Image where we lead tours together. She's a really interesting person. Although we've talked about art a lot, I've never seen her work. Mostly my fault. She is constantly inviting me to her open studios and I was never able to make it, until tonight.

Well, the minute I walked into the walkway of the studio spaces I see a big screen with images of various asses. No I don't mean donkeys, I mean human butts, right there in your face and not just with the cheeks closed, you could see the whole ass hole and everything. "Dorothy, you are not in Kansas anymore!" Or better yet, "Nellie, you are definitly not in the Children's Museum of Manhattan!" Well, although I don't love that kind of art, it did feel good that a big giant ass was welcoming me into the world of adulthood. When you have 2 young children, it's easy to get lost in the land of Never Never land, in endless Blues Clues episodes, in countless Legos buildings, in Mr. Potatohead conundrums. It was just nice to, again, be immersed in the sometimes self indulgent world of art, if just for a moment.

Kirsten's work is pretty adult. She's a photographer so she had these beautiful photos of women, some naked, some in intimate apparel, shot in bedrooms. However, they were either hidden by a wall or a door. They were very intimate and vulnerable, yet very guarded. She's also working on a series of naked men which she showed me some photos of. Her work was definitely edgy yet more subtle than what I was greeted with.

I had a great time. Even the train ride to and fro was great. I just love riding the subway, people don't get that about me. Nowadays it has become a symbol reminiscent of who I was before kids. The first time I took the subway on a consistent basis was to get to Laguardia High School of Music and Art. I then took it to go to Hunter College where I studied art history, then to my first museum job, etc. So the subway has a deep connection to my love of art. After M was born, I continued to take the train but I ended up more and more uptown, first to Queens where I worked at the Museum of the Moving Image and then to Harlem where I taught at the Studio Museum in Harlem. Right before I had D, I began working in the Bronx as a teacher and then with the birth of D, I am now home. So, as I had children, I progressively worked closer to home. So going all the way downtown today, to 14th street, was a way of reconnecting with my old self. Now don't get me wrong. It's not like my old self was a trip to Disney Land. I have grown so much since those days, I have actually transformed into a pretty insightful, interesting person. I would never give that up, not for a minute, all that I have gained today. A great husband, two wonderful kids, being able to stay home with my children, being able to rediscover my love for sewing, the insight I have now, etc. However, I do feel like I need to reconnect with her, my old self. I miss her. She's still part of me and I need to repect that and aknowledge that she once existed.

Anyway, it was great to see Kirsten. I talked to her, she introduced me to her friend who is an interior designer, we talked for a while. I then ran into a mutual friend from our museum job and we shared, I met an artist who would be perfect for my middle schoolers, if I ever decide to go back to art teaching. In total, I had a wonderful, rejuvenating time. If you are an artist, and a mom, it is imperative that you get out and look at art, talk about art, even write about art. It's urgent that you occasionally take time to recoonect to your old self, the self before kids. I came back home with so many ideas for, not only my clothing line, but for two dimensional work. I came back home feeling like an artist, a person with an opinion about art, a person, feeling like my old self.

DIY style today and project I worked on

So first off, I got dressed quickly this morning because I realized that I had run out of milk and when I glanced at what I was wearing, I realized that it was all my own clothes, that is, I made them all. The vest is grey, i made this recently but the pants were made a while go, maybe 6 years ago, wow! That's a great feeling when your creations become so much part of you, your life. That's when I realized that I would like to sell the stuff I make, cause I like them so much, so maybe someone else would too. Oh, wait a minute the tank top underneath the vest is not mine. I did purchase it.

Also, this is what I worked on today. It's a dress made from three different t-shirts, a grey one that was given to my son but did not fit him, the blue with stripes was also given to him but didn't fit him either and the blue from the skirt was a purchased one. It is still quite unfinished. Needs some type of binding on the neck and sleeves and the back is longer than the front for some reason. It came out shorter than I wanted to so it could either be a beach dress or a tunic worn with jeans. I think I'll add a graphic and have it go towards the Nelesc line. I keep keeping the stuff I make, it's time to start creating towards the collection again. I had to take the pic while leaning back because the straps are still not attached in the back.

My DIY Recon Style Today

Well, I am really making up for lost time. Here is a pic of what I wore today. It's all DIY (do it yourself). I found the Evita shirt in a thrift shop in Queens. It was big so I took in the sides and shortened it and cut the neck out. The pants I had from about 7 years ago. I love them so much but they were getting a hole in the knee so I cut them from the knee, added triangles in the sides and back and voila! gauchos are born.

Brown and Green Eco Dress

Here's the brown and green dress that I wrote about on June 21st. It too is part of the scraps idea I wrote about earlier. I wore it about three times already including my son's IEP meeting which went very well. I know it was God but I think the dress helped too (just kidding!) I call it the eco dress because after it was done it looked like a tree trunk with brown leaves and a lonely green leaf hanging on. Like a cry to the universe to save our planet. This is one of those times when I made something and the end result was not what I intended it to be. I do try to live green ( I do use recycled materials in my line) but I didn't begin the dress with this intent in mind. I am very happy how it turned out. I guess the dress had a message to tell.

The green was from a t-shirt my mother in law gave me, it was hers, and the brown on the bodice was scrap from a previous project. I did buy a new t-shirt for the skirt part. The browns don't match perfectly, but that's okay with me.

By the way, the pattern is also mine. I am so excited about this new patternmaking venture.

Sorry it took so long to write

Aaaahh so sorry for taking so long to write. I have had so much going on. First of all it was M's 6th birthday and we had a birthday party and all that took up some of my time. My hubby was also directing a play which filled our house with endless props. I don't know about you but when the house is cluttered like that, I can't manage to find the mental capacity to make stuff. Another thing is that this week D will get evaluated. Given our history with autism (M was diagnosed 4 years ago) we thought it was prudent to have D evaluated. He's not really talking or pointing although he is extremely relational; makes eye contact, plays peekaboo, laughs all the time, etc. I am trying not to worry but I am worrying. I will keep you posted.

But in the midst of that I did manage to finish some stuff and organize my sewing area. I decided to yake a break from making stuff for the line and make pieces for myself. This would allow me the time to practice on myself and see if there is potential to then include the designs in the line. as for organizing, I placed some of the books from my bookcases elsewhere and placed my fabrics in the bookcases so I can see them. It's an investment in my desire to make my sewing a business. I really don't know if it's possible but it's a step of faith. I also put a serger on layaway!!!!!! Another investment in my business plan. It's more than half way paid off. i overlock stitch my garments with my brother machine but i now want to up the anty and make my finishing more professional. I'll let you know when it arrives.

Anyway, here is a pic of the black and white dress that turned into a top. I am very happy with it and already wore it to church with rave reviews. This is my attempt to make pieces from scraps using my own patterns. No faces on these, this will be another facet of the line.